The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Perrseus program is now live with a formal solicitation, moving from concept to concrete timelines and technical expectations. The goal hasn’t changed: build manufacturable, microscale ultra‑high‑vacuum (µUHV) packages that can support next‑generation quantum, MEMS, and photonics‑based sensors without relying on room‑sized vacuum systems.
With the solicitation out, teams interested in Perrseus now have clarity on deadlines, award structure, and what DARPA expects performers to deliver across packaging, pumping, and sensing.
Update: Perrseus Solicitation Details
On July 15, 2026, DARPA issued the official Perrseus Program Solicitation (DARPA‑PS‑26‑127), which locks in the program’s schedule and award mechanics.
Key points:
- Abstract due date: August 3, 2026
- Full proposal due date: September 23, 2026
- Anticipated in‑person oral presentations: September 30 – October 8, 2026
- Expected program start: January 2027
- Award instrument: Other Transaction for Prototype Agreements (OTAs) under 10 U.S.C. 4022
- Multiple awards anticipated across a 48‑month program
Perrseus is sponsored out of DARPA’s Microsystems Technology Office and is structured to run through three major phases, with down‑selects as teams demonstrate manufacturable progress toward µUHV. The solicitation makes clear that teams should expect substantial technical interaction with DARPA over the life of the program, including design reviews and performance demonstrations.
The rest of this article focuses on what Perrseus is trying to achieve technically and how the design space looks for potential performers.
What Perrseus Is Trying to Solve
Vacuum quality is a bottleneck for many quantum and advanced sensing systems. Today, cold‑atom devices, ultra‑high‑Q MEMS, and certain photonic sensors often depend on large, complex vacuum setups that are hard to manufacture at scale and difficult to deploy outside the lab.
Perrseus is aiming for:
Pressure improvement from roughly 10⁻³ mbar to below 10⁻¹⁰ mbar in a package volume on the order of 5 mL
Compatibility across MEMS, photonics, and quantum sensors in the same µUHV package
Integrated electrical and photonic interconnects that support driving and reading out high‑performance sensors inside the vacuum package
The program’s core challenge is simple to state and hard to solve: move from bespoke, lab‑scale vacuum systems to manufacturable, microscale packages that can hold ultra‑high vacuum for long durations, while still supporting high‑end sensing hardware.
Technical Challenges DARPA Calls Out
The solicitation lays out a set of specific pain points teams are expected to address:
Materials and permeation:
- Ubiquitous use of SiO₂ for optics and windows leads to noble gas permeation over time.
- Impermeable or quasi‑impermeable coatings (e.g., Al₂O₃) have helped, but robust, manufacturable methods with interconnects are not yet proven.
Housing and interconnects:
- Existing architectures struggle with low‑leak packaging that also allows for electrical and photonic interconnects without introducing new boundaries and leak paths.
Pumping capacity and lifetime:
- Chemical getters don’t pump all gases and can suffer from contamination issues.
- Microscale ion pumps haven’t yet demonstrated sufficient noble gas handling, long‑term stability, or scalable manufacturing, and are rarely integrated directly into vacuum cells.
To hit Perrseus targets, proposers need to think beyond incremental improvements. DARPA expects teams to rethink vacuum architectures, sealing approaches, pumping strategies, and process flows, with an eye toward manufacturability and cross‑platform compatibility.
What DARPA Wants To See In Proposals
The solicitation gives a non‑exhaustive list of solution categories that illustrate how DARPA expects teams to approach the design space. Examples include:
Methods to reduce helium permeation through package materials
Architectures that are less sensitive to small leaks, including cascaded vacuum systems
Make‑and‑break seals or MEMS‑scale pinch‑off techniques to control sealing conditions
Electrical and photonic interconnects that minimize new boundaries and leak paths
High‑capacity getters based on atomic sources or structural getters
Magnetless, reliable microscale ion pumps
Tooling and bonding methods that support ultra‑high‑vacuum assembly at scale
On the sensing side, DARPA is explicit that no single sensor will be sufficient to measure pressure across the full range of interest. Proposers are expected to develop a suite of pressure sensors (e.g., cold‑atom sensors, high‑Q MEMS, micro‑vacuum electronics, high‑Q photonic devices) and show how they will be integrated into the µUHV package to monitor performance from ~10⁻³ mbar down below 10⁻¹⁰ mbar.
Perrseus sits at the intersection of quantum sensing, microfabrication, and advanced packaging. The program is not about full end-to-end navigation systems or finished field products. It’s about the µUHV infrastructure that makes high-performance microscale sensors viable in the first place.
EverGlade is a national advisory firm helping innovators navigate the federal funding ecosystem. We support companies across the funding lifecycle, from early-stage strategy through proposal development, negotiations, and post-award execution, ensuring you win the award and deliver the program.
For additional information on where your capabilities could plug into this program, schedule a conversation with our team.
